Project Summary/Abstract This application requests fund to partially support a FASEB Scientific Research Conference (SRC) on Smooth Muscle to be held in Palm Beach, FL between July 14 and 19, 2019. Smooth muscle cells line the walls of most hollow organs such as blood vessels, digestive tract organs, urinary bladder, and uterus. These cells regulate the functions not only of the specific tissues in which they are located, but other organs in the body. Smooth muscle cells located within different organs exhibit individual properties, regulation and physiology. An understanding of the biology of smooth muscle cells is important to determine the etiology of a wide variety of prevalent diseases, including hypertension, stroke, coronary vasospasm, myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis, asthma, pre-term labor, urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, kidney failure, and many gastrointestinal motility disorders. These disorders afflict young and older individuals of all socioeconomic levels. Given the clinical importance of smooth muscle research, the proposed 2019 conference includes several speakers that bridge the gap between basic and clinical questions in smooth muscle. Thus, the meeting serves as an excellent interdisciplinary forum for exchange of information at several levels of investigation and attracts scientists from academia, the pharmaceutical industry and clinical researchers, with broad expertise in molecular biology, physiology, pharmacology and pathophysiology. The Smooth Muscle FASEB SRC is the only regularly scheduled meeting that brings together investigators working in the field of smooth muscle. Since 1982, this conference has been regularly scheduled at an interval of ~3 years, which allows for the development of new and exciting areas of research. The sharing of currently emerging knowledge gained through genetics and epigenetics, molecular biology, smooth muscle-specific gene editing and advances in cytoskeleton dynamics, along with the development of powerful non-invasive imaging techniques will fill the meeting with a great deal of excitement. The conference serves a unique role by providing a focused forum for the presentation of the latest results, training of junior scientists, exchange of ideas, and the formation of new collaborative networks in the United States and abroad. Speakers are from national and international institutions and include scientists that are female and from underrepresented groups. Platform sessions have been organized to allow presentations by a keynote speaker and both established and young investigators. Poster sessions, a career-oriented workshop, and a meet-the-expert session are also included. This conference will provide an outstanding forum for the discussion of cutting-edge research into smooth muscle cells.